Holland Hall Magazine Spring/Summer 2009

SPRING / SUMMER

2009

OLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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CONNECTING ALUMNI & FRIENDS www.hollandhall.org

changing lives

alumnUS chris gates’ mission in tanzania

Holland Hall Board of Trustees Mark D. Desjardins, Ph.D. Headmaster Mrs. Tammie L. Maloney President Mr. Roger B. Collins Vice President

Mr. David Keglovits The Rt. Rev. Edward J. Konieczny Diocesan Bishop Mr. Frederick P. Koontz ’81 Strategic Plan Mr. Charles K. Lamson

Mrs. Melanie M. Hill 2nd Vice President Capital Campaign

Dr. Brent W. Laughlin Education

Mr. Robert L. Hughes ’84 2nd Vice President B&G

Dr. Holbrook C. Lawson ’82 Institutional Advancement

Mr. H. Michael Krimbill 2nd Vice President Capital Campaign

Mr. P. Vincent LoVoi Trustees Mrs. Margaret M. Neely

Mr. Phil Frohlich Treasurer

Ms. Virginia Miller ’71 Alumni Association President

Mrs. Susannah Hocutt Adelson ’85 Secretary

Ms. Elizabeth Peterson

Mrs. Julianne Tate Allen ’74

Mr. Harold W. Salisbury

Mrs. Leah C. Clayman Parents’ Association President

The Rev. Shelby H. Scott

Mr. Keith C. Goddard ’87 Investment

Mrs. Barbara D. Sturdivant Advisory & Audit Mr. Scott F. Zarrow

Mrs. Cara Shimkus Hall ’84

Content

ADMINISTRATION Mark D. Desjardins, Ph.D. Headmaster

Steve Heldebrand Athletic Director

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From the Headmaster

Liz Anderson Director of Communication

Kathy Housh Director of College Counseling

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Teacher Exchange — Russia

Joel Bicknell Head of Middle School

Leslie Kelly Chief Financial Officer

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China

Dennis Calkins Head of Upper School

Lauri Lenora Director of Wellness

Steve Dyer Director of the Walter Arts Center & Fine Arts

Brad Shelley Director of Institutional Advancement

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Holland Hall Happenings

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Transitions

Henry Finch Director of Technology

Jo-An Vargo Head of Primary School

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Empowering Young Lives in Uganda

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Tony Wagner Visits Holland Hall

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Spotlight: Holland Hall Faculty Chris Cook

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Development News

Richard Hart Director of Admission & Financial Aid

Holland Hall Magazine is a biannual publication.

Holland Hall is an independent coeducational college preparatory school affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma serving students from 3-year-olds through 12th grade.

Holland Hall, in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations, does not discriminate against qualified individuals on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion or disability in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admission, financial aid and educational services.

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Holland Hall Visits China

SPRING / SUMMER

2009

OLLAND HALL TM

MAGAZINE CONNECTING ALUMNI & FRIENDS

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Changing Lives in Tanzania

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Dreams to Reality

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Focus on Arts

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From the President of the Alumni Association

Alumnus Chris Gates ’05

Alumnus Bruce Buford ’69

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Class Notes

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Dutch Athletics

on the cover Alumnus Chris Gates ’05 in Tanzania pictured with girls of the Janada L. Batchelor Foundation for Children, Inc. orphanage he established.

Corrections Fall/Winter 2008 Issue, Page 12, “The Day of the Dead”: Pictured alter created by Sarah Rasmussen ’11, Robert Wichmann ’11, Grace Weber ’12 and Connor Glass ’11.

Cover photo provided by Chris Gates.

Holland Hall Magazine welcomes letters to the editor on subjects raised within the pages of the magazine. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include a name, address and daytime telephone number with all correspondence.

Address changes, corrections or omissions and material for publication are also welcome.

Holland Hall Magazine Institutional Advancement 5666 East 81st Street Tulsa, Oklahoma 74137-2099 Phone: (918) 481-1111 Fax: (918) 879-4793 Questions concerning the magazine, please contact Liz Anderson, Director of Communication at landerson@hollandhall.org.

Questions concerning alumni, please contact Judy Warren, Director of Alumni Relations at jwarren@hollandhall.org.

For more information about Holland Hall and the Office of Institutional Advancement, visit www.hollandhall.org.

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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From the Headmaster

A Global Mindset

Mark Desjardins, Ph.D.

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ne of my favorite Tulsa stories was learning how city officials coordinated a wellconceived game plan to recruit The Hilti Group to locate its North American Headquarters within our city. The individual who retold the story to me indicated that Tulsa’s trump card was to present the city’s proposal in German, the native language of the Liechtenstein founded company. This proactive and forward thinking approach landed Tulsa this prized company. Today, The Hilti Group is a world leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing products for professional customers in the construction industry and in building maintenance. Moreover, they now have offices in 120 countries worldwide including Greece, Japan, Chile, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia.

This story is more than 40 years old but demonstrates the power of understanding and communicating across cultures. Whether or not one agrees with the economic principles that Thomas Freedman espouses in “The World is Flat,” it’s irrefutable that we are indeed a more global and fluid economy today than at any other time in our history. As we sent forth the class of 2009, the 86th graduating class in this school’s illustrious history, it is important to note that they have entered a far more complex and dynamic world than those in past years. In some respects, they may be the best-prepared class. Over their four years we have made some changes to the curriculum that will enable them to encounter a more global oriented world with a wider lens. Perhaps more importantly, we have helped this group of seniors to understand the importance and power of “asking good questions,” rather than simply making summary statements based upon what they have learned.

Twenty years ago, retiring White House Presidential Advisor David Gergen told a group of political interns “The most important advice I can give you is to encourage you to learn a another language, travel to another country, and immerse yourself in a culture other than your own.” Many of the class of ’09 already took Gergen’s advise before leaving Holland Hall.

Several of them have been to China; some have spent nearly three months in Mexico; one amongst them spent his senior year studying abroad in Italy; and a third of them are fluent in not one, but two languages.

As you read through the pages of this edition of the Holland Hall Magazine, you will see a special emphasis on those doing just this — students, faculty and alumni immersing themselves in global thinking and initiatives. From inside these walls, our students and faculty take a global mindset with them, empowered with the confidence to not be afraid of other cultures, but to embrace them and use their own talents to work alongside them. Enjoy these stories and rest assured, these are not the last Holland Hall members to make a global impact.

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TeacherExchange XXXXXX

russia Leah Udwin Upper School History Teacher

In March, I was able to spend three weeks in provincial Russia with my exchange teacher Irina Efimova. March isn’t exactly the time of year when tourists would choose to go to the vast, snowy, birchtimbered expanse of Russia, but when the State Department chooses to fund an ambassadorial trip for eight American teachers to spend time with Russian colleagues, you go happily. The thinking is that teachers reach many people through their work with students and other teachers, and that their positive outreach to ordinary citizens is considerable.

The Russian teachers used the professional development they’d gained in the U.S. for five weeks in 2008 to enhance their classes with the knowledge of American teaching techniques and standards that they found innovative or particularly suited to their needs. We American teachers were going to Russia to learn from our colleagues there and to set up collaborative projects and exchanges of different sorts.

Irina is an English teacher, but other American teachers in our group who taught math and science stayed with their disciplinary counterparts who may not have spoken English at all. I stayed in Irina’s family apartment for two weeks in the small city of Tutayev near the provincial city of Yaroslav.

Her two teenaged children gave up their bedroom for me, and the family stayed in the other bedroom/living room while I was there. Irina had set up a whirlwind of activies from visiting schools, music academies, and youth centers to cultural visits to cathedrals, museums and monasteries. I met the mayor of Tutayev, principals of schools and other Russian officials in many capacities. I helped teach English classes in three cities, gave talks about Oklahoma history, Holland Hall and the American public school system to Russian teachers. I saw presentations at schools as diverse as the pedestrian safety of children to playing balalaika instrumentals. Irina’s sixth form class even performed a Russian fairy tale for me.

Irina and I have established an email pen pal exchange between our students.

This will help next year as the Upper School history department expands the 10th grade Humanities course to include an environmental unit in the second semester, while collaborating with Irina’s school in Tutayev to accomplish a joint environmental project.

Photos courtesy of Leah Udwin

I had but the merest taste of Russian life: Enjoying the food, experiencing the joy for living and visiting the beautiful capital city of Moscow, but I am certain of a few essentials. The Russians care deeply for the education of their children both academically and artistically. I think we have a lot in common after all.

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thespians unite! the fringe festival

CHINA HOLLAND HALL VISITS CHINA

Photos courtesy of Joe Ford

Joe ford Upper School Technology Resources Teacher

Who is crazy enough to volunteer to chaperone six high school boys on a two-week international trip to a country where the chaperone has no language experience? That isn’t exactly the way the opportunity was presented, but that is essentially what Nancy Baumann and I agreed to when this year’s Holland Hall exchange trip was organized to visit Beijing Middle School Number 8.

The intent for this particular exchange program is cultural exchange and experience. We were not expected to teach classes, but we had the opportunity to attend classes. While Holland Hall students shadowed their host students, Ms. Baumann and I visited two sections of Advanced English class and participated in small group discussions held 100 percent in English. The Chinese students’ English language abilities were very impressive.

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Much of the trip was spent sightseeing the beautiful and ancient cities of Beijing and Shanghai. We visited palaces, temples, museums and historic royal residences. We shopped the markets and ate truly wonderful food — not all of which was ever really clearly identified. Our students were terrific — they represented Holland Hall very well and had a great time doing so. I think everyone came home with at least one “you should have been there when … ” story.

Thank you to the Holland Hall community for the opportunity to participate in this exchange program.

I am certain these experiences will influence my worldview for the rest of my life. What a blessing it is to be part of this great school!

by Jake freudenrich ’10 Holland Hall Junior

My Trip to China China was definitely an experience. Although certain aspects of the Chinese culture did shock us all at first, it was a memorable trip that I would never take back. I ate duck, lamb and things that I dared not ask. I climbed mountains, took pictures with almost every person we saw, and hiked across the great wall; an exercise that would compete with many SAC workouts. Being able to experience all of those great things, and experiencing a culture completely different yet surprisingly similar was a gift.

All of us that went were forced to get out of our comfort zones and see life through the eyes of a person who lived half way around the world. The trip introduced us to new traditions, people, and most importantly food. Although not always able to fit in the beds and even with the same constant gaze we received everywhere we went, we never felt unwanted. Respect is very important to the Chinese people and it was shown through every action they made.

Even with all the differences between the American and Chinese cultures, the basics were still the same. Every time we would visit the Chinese students there was only one thing they really wanted to discuss — the NBA (National Basketball Association). You can travel half way around the world or you can cross the street and you will find similarities you never knew existed.

They like to shop, play sports, and freak out about school just as much as the next teenager. Also, being able to share American culture became just as much a reward, as was learning about their culture. The second my student laid eyes on my iPod, he never stopped listening and writing down the names of artists and bands. Our students were fascinated by us as we were them, and we never stopped learning from each other.

We visited temples and shared similarities and differences between our two cultures, all while buying souvenirs along the way. The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that, hopefully, everyone will be able to experience one day.

“All of us that went were forced to get out of our comfort zones and see life through the eyes of a person who lived half way around the world.”

— Jake Freudenrich ’10

From left: Nancy Baumann, Kenan Tawaklna ’10, Jay-Michael Swab ’10, Rob Wallace ’10, Jake Freudenrich ’10, Seth Bourdeau ’10, Mitch Cobb ’10 and Joe Ford.

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Holland Hall Happenings

If you have photos you would like to submit, contact Liz Anderson, Director of Communication at (918) 481-1111. Email photos to landerson@hollandhall.org or mail to 5666 E. 81st St., Tulsa, Okla., 74137.

Luka Abufadil ’20, Mark Massey ’20 and Allison Latham ’11 at Culturefest.

Gray Migliore ’20 and Jackson Castillo ’20 helped raise $6,500 for Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Characters from Dr. Seuss came alive on March 12, as Thing 1 and Thing 2 surprised the preschool classes as the mystery readers. The blue haired friends entertained the children with improvisational comedy and a reading of “The Cat in the Hat.”

MaryPat Fennema and Simone Wichmann volunteer and help organize books at the 2009 Book Fair.

Tanya Humphreys, Chair of the 49th Annual Book Fair, works during the event to keep books in order.

The 2009 Book Fair raised $52,000 for the school.

Will Phipps ’09 and Todd Webb ’17 work together to plant trees for the pond restoration project.

Acquisitions Chair Carolyn Hughes, Auction Chair Annie Brady and Patron Chair Jaya Richardson.

The 2009 Holland Hall Auction “It’s a Small World” helped raise $137,000 for the school.

David Maloney and Holland Hall Board of Trustees Chair Tammie Maloney enjoy the festivities at the 2009 Holland Hall Auction.

Maricarolyn Swab and Bill & Kathy LaFortune smile for the camera at the 2009 Holland Hall Auction.

Visiting Illustrator and Author Ted Arnold, Primary School Librarian Matt Christian and Primary School Foreign Language Teacher Yolanda Hankins enjoy dinner.

From Left: Kevin Burr, Tulsa Public Schools Director of Curriculum Instruction, Tony Wagner, Author of the “Global Achievement Gap”, Mark Desjardins, Headmaster at Holland Hall, and Millard House, Tulsa Public Schools Area District Superintendent.

Deans’ Night 2009: Christopher J. Gruber from Davidson College, Janet Lavin Rapelye from Princeton University and Lisa Pinamonti Kress from University of Kansas

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Transitions Transitions

3rd Grade Bridge Crossing

Middle School Closing Exercises

Commencement

new members of the Cum Laude Society!

2009 National Merit Scholarship Finalists Back, from left: John C. Barnhart, Ian T. Elkin, John A. Graddy, Wilson M. Ramsey, Ryan S. Donaldson and Christopher W. Marshall.

Front, from left: Anne E. Adelson, Rachel J. Zarrow, Hannah M. Cardiel, Genevieve C. Dukes, Alexandra K. Harjo and Jessi R. Wilson

Class of 2010 Back, from left: Chandler Marden Hicks Kenan Tawaklna Ian Jackson Campbell Jacob Edward Nonweiler Front, from left: Lana Kathleen Laughlin Hannah Jean Newman Ami Atulkumar Dave Emma Boston Steele Julia Elizabeth Boese Class of 2009 Back, from left: Ian Timothy Elkin Jenna Sabrina Wichmann Laura Elizabeth Crockett Luke Zen Sweeney Front, from left: Allyson Paige Berklacy Hannah Marie Cardiel Kristen Anne Grewe Alexandra Kathleen Harjo

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Empowering Young Lives in Uganda Art scrutchins Upper School Chaplain

“I thank God for you every day. I try hard in school and so far I’m making good marks.”

These were the words on a handwritten note addressed to the Upper School faculty and students. The words were written by 16 year-old Matwese Amon, a Ugandan orphan. He is one of the orphans that have been sponsored or “adopted” by the Holland Hall community.

This was the fourth year for the Upper School and the second year for the Middle School to partner with the organization BARHD (Bushenyi Alliance for Rural Health and Development) in making a difference in the lives of young people in Uganda, Africa.

BARHD helps deliver health care to the people of rural Uganda through supporting four health clinics and helps provide education through the Student Orphan Sponsorship Program.

In Uganda, education beyond the sixth grade is provided by privately run boarding schools, where tuition is required.

Through the program, Holland Hall students have sponsored several orphans; and allowed them to receive an education. For only $350, their tuition, room and board, books and one school uniform are provided.

Four years ago, Father Paul Jefferies, Headmaster of the Bishop McAllister School in Uganda, gave a chapel talk to the upper school students about Ugandan orphans. One of the pictures in his presentation showed young people using homemade soccer balls. They had constructed them out of layers of banana tree leaves. Also, during his presentation there were several groans in

Oui!

French Exchange Program: Learning Outside the Classroom

the crowd when one picture showed students wearing battered “hand-me-down” Casady soccer team uniforms! The severe poverty in Uganda makes uniform and gear purchases difficult.

Hearing that, Holland Hall’s own Richard Hart went to work. A shipment of slightly used soccer balls and bright, clean “Dutch” soccer uniforms were Ugandan bound. On March 27, Sister Ephrance, who administers the health clinics in rural Uganda, came to speak to Holland Hall students. She brought with her a thank-you for Mr. Hart from the students in Uganda.

Now, in his office, Mr. Hart proudly displays his very own banana leaf soccer ball.

At least once a year we receive a letter from each Ugandan orphan sponsored by the Holland Hall community. It is a joy to read them to the students in either Chapel or morning meeting. It hopefully empowers them to lead lives that will serve the greater community.

Eleven 8th grade Holland Hall students spent two weeks of March in France as part of a cultural exchange program with La Providence, a private French school located in Tulsa’s French sister city of Amiens.

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France was absolutely amazing!” said Caroline Adelson ’13.

You may see 1,000 books about France, but it will never compare to living in France for two weeks.

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A Holland Hall tradition since 2000, Middle School students have the opportunity to tour local areas of interest, take classes and participate in family life in France.

“An exchange program can be the biggest challenge a person will ever encounter, and it is a huge learning experience that cannot be achieved in the classroom,” said Holland Hall teacher Janice Moore.

French students also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in American culture. Students from La Providence arrived in Tulsa to live with host families in the Holland Hall community in April. French exchange students visited local points of interest, attended Holland Hall and participated in American family life.

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Holland Hall Senior Studies in Italy Elliot Rambach ’09 spent his senior year studying in Italy. He was the first student from Holland Hall to participate in the School Year Abroad (SYA) program.

The SYA is the only secondarylevel program which allows students to live with a European or Asian family for an entire academic year while earning U.S. graduation credits and preparing for selective U.S. colleges and universities. For more information on SYA, visit www.sya.org.

Chaplain’s Corner The Rev. Robert l. bibens Primary and Middle School Chaplain

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ummer is finally here, and there are so many wonderful opportunities for family fun, relaxation and personal growth!

As the Primary and Middle School Chaplain, I’d like to caution parents a bit, when it comes to the various media outlets, that are available to the average young person.

With lots of extra time on their hands, several children will be sitting in front of computer and television screens, quite a bit more than usual. I know that many parents will be working over the summer, and it becomes increasingly difficult to monitor all that young eyes and ears might be experiencing. So, some careful planning might be needed to guarantee the desired environment.

Even on seemingly harmless websites like CNN, Sports Illustrated or Yahoo, occasionally the topics discussed and photographs shared are inappropriate for younger eyes. In addition, much of what now masquerades as children’s or family programming, on network or cable television, should first be watched by Mom or Dad, before the kids are blindly exposed to it. I’m especially saddened by the number of animated offerings, that are aimed at an older audience…with many parents assuming that it’s suitable for children because it’s a cartoon.

The local movie theaters aren’t much better, with few PG-13 summer blockbusters that probably should have been rated R instead.

With our local zoo, libraries, summer programs, parks and aquarium, hopefully our children will have plenty to keep them occupied over the summer. There are also lots of fantastic websites, television programs and movies, that can be enjoyed by young people and their families during summer break. Hopefully, as parents, we can assist in the choices and the decisions made by our younger students, while they are enjoying their free time!

Have a great summer, everyone!

Nationally Recognized Education Reformer and Noted Author Visits Holland Hall More than 250 members of Tulsa and surrounding communities braved the rough weather on Tuesday, May 5, to hear Tony Wagner, nationally recognized education reformer and noted author of “The Global Achievement Gap,” as he addressed the importance of education in the 21st century.

“This was a terrific community outreach event,” noted Headmaster Mark Desjardins, “we were especially delighted that so many teachers from surrounding schools were in the audience.”

In a passionate and eloquent manner, Dr. Wagner outlined the overemphasis on testing in schools today. “Companies want to hire employees who are critical thinkers and can ask good questions,” exclaimed Wagner, citing conversations with Fortune 500 CEO’s. Yet, Wagner noted, in today’s schools teachers are required to emphasize skill and content areas that are only covered on state tests.

A robust discussion and dialogue ensued after Wagner’s opening remarks.

“There was a great atmosphere of reform and urgency,” he said. “It was refreshing to see Tulsans so adamant about providing a better educational environment for all students.”

During his visit to Tulsa, Wagner met with a group of Tulsa Public School principals and administrators, attended classes in the Upper School and conducted a 90-minute workshop with the entire Holland Hall faculty.

“His presence on campus afforded us the unique opportunity to engage with a cutting edge researcher and scholar,” said Desjardins. “We picked his brain on what we are doing well and what we might be doing better in regards to our current curriculum reform efforts.”

Wagner plans to return to Tulsa to continue his work with the leadership of Tulsa Public Schools in their effort to inspire innovative teaching and programs within the district. TPS officials noted that Holland Hall has a vital role to play in their latest reform efforts.

Wagner acknowledged that Holland Hall’s example should help move the conversation forward within the public schools.

“Our overarching objective is to be a good community servant,” Desjardins indicated. “We are blessed with outstanding faculty who have been turned loose to break the mold. We are excited about sharing our story and results with members of the TPS community. All of us who live here have a vested interest in making this community better.”

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Spotlight

Chris Cook, Holland Hall History Teacher sarah kranau ’10 Holland Hall Student

“I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.”

— Lloyd Dobler, Say Anything

In college, Cook was on track to become a lawyer, but then a change of fate caused him to discover his true calling.

He became an assistant debate coach and soon realized that he loved it, and especially enjoyed working with teenagers.

This turn of events sparked his interest in teaching and he soon decided it was the course for him. He soon began his teaching career and spent six years teaching in Sand Springs before coming to Holland Hall.

“The teaching career is a career you do because you like it; not a career you go into for the traditional reasons,” says Cook.

He truly does enjoy it, especially because he is able to create courses that suit his own interests. His latest teaching creation, History of Urban Development through Film, encompasses his personal interests as well as ideas inspired by programs such as CityTerm (a semester long, experiencebased learning program in New York City). He says although this topic would not sound interesting to most, he enjoys 12

Photo by Victoria Tabio ’10

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hen asked about his career choice, Mr. Cook refers to this as his inspiration. He chose a non-traditional career, for the nontraditional reasons, and those reasons are clear from the moment you ask him about his career choice. He just loves what he teaches, plain and simple. His enthusiasm for his classes is the kind you can’t fake, and while he’s been at Holland Hall for six years now, many people may still not know the truth about the most interesting History teacher/dean ever to pass through the doors of the Upper School.

it because “any subject can be made interesting if you think long and hard about it.”

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The teaching career is a career you do because you like it; not a career you go into for the traditional reasons.

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— Chris Cook

As Mr. Cook explains, it is this love of learning that has caused him to return to graduate school. “One of the reasons I went back to school was to keep my mind sharp. Teaching at Holland Hall helps in this endeavor, but I think that we all need to be challenged intellectually beyond our day-to-day routines. Reading for leisure is one thing (and it’s a good thing), but being forced to do work, with a purpose in mind, is also useful. It also seemed a bit

hypocritical of me to preach the virtues of continued education to my students, while I sat around watching “The Office” and “Battlestar Galactica” at night. Why should the virtue of formal learning end after the age of 30?”

Mr. Cook will be going back to graduate school to study Architectural Urban Studies, which he says essentially means urban planning, which he then says essentially means city design and the planning of cities.

When asked what kind of course Mr. Cook would create if given the freedom to design his dream class, he says he would create a course similar to CityTerm. This type of class would meet out in the city and never in a classroom, no papers would be assigned, and the class would instead work as a whole to complete a single project.

There is no doubt, Mr. Cook’s classes will force a student to think long and hard. But because his interest in what he teaches is so contagious, a student can’t help but love it as much as he does.

Holland Hall featured Award-Winning Children’s Illustrator/Author Tedd Arnold on Wednesday, April 1, as part of the 2009 Sue T. Lawson Visiting Illustrator/Author Program.

Born in Elmira, New York, Tedd Arnold's books include, “No Jumping on the Bed!”, “No More Water in the Tub!” and “Hi! Fly Guy”. Arnold has published more than 50 books and is also a 2006 recipient of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor from the American Library Association. Arnold visited with Holland Hall students and shared with them about what inspires him to write and illustrate his books.

Holland Hall Hosts Award Winning Children’s Illustrator/Author

The Sue T. Lawson Visiting Illustrator/Author Program is a rich literature experience for Holland Hall students and provides outstanding authors and illustrators the opportunity to share their experiences of writing, illustrating and publishing their work. Additionally, signed books are available for purchase. The program, named after a beloved Holland Hall teacher and librarian, brings in nationally renowned illustrator/authors every year. Past visitors included Caldecott Award-Winning Children’s Illustrator/Authors Eric Kimmel, David Small and Sarah Stewart.

Holland Hall Students Unlock Talent with Keyless Entry sarah kranau ’10 Holland Hall Student

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it down with Jake, Joey and Nicholas for five minutes, and you’ll understand why Keyless Entry’s music has such an amazing vibe.

When the three main members of the band are together, they exude such an overwhelming chemistry you can’t help but love them. From in-depth discussions about their late night eating habits to quoting in unison the entire lyrics to “Dirty Harry” by the Gorillaz, they never cease to entertain.

The only downside to all this charisma is attempting to keep them on topic. Humble to a fault, they’d rather share their love for chocolate chip waffles than brag about the inspiration for their thoughtful lyrics. But between the talk of waffles with Jell-O chocolate pudding (Nicholas’ personal favorite), they begin to share what makes Keyless Entry so unique.

Originally a jazz combo known as Soul Fish Nine, the core group now consists of Holland Hall Juniors Jake Nonweiler, Joey LoVoi and Nicholas Foster. Because their songs are written with more than three parts, they often add other members for performances, such as bassist Justin Kasparek and fellow Holland Hall Junior Michael Vann.

Keyless Entry has been practicing every weekend for the past three years, mainly at Jake’s house. These weekly practices even resulted in the band’s name. The group originally practiced in Jake’s garage when no one was home, letting themselves in with the keyless entry. Joey’s dad commented that this would be a good name, and thus Keyless Entry was born.

Fast forward to three years later, and the band has just released their first studio album, From One to Flat Six. The guys collaborate on

every aspect of their music, from lyrics to bass lines.

Although they are happy with their new album, they all admit that they like to play some songs more than others.

“We have songs that we legitimately don’t like; we would never play ‘Future of Us’ if people didn’t like it,” they say of one of their most popular songs.

“We wanted to get a CD out, so it was just process of elimination and trying to balance different sounds,” Jake explained. “If we waited ‘til it was all our best songs, we still wouldn’t have an album out.”

When asked about inspiration, the guys begin to rattle off a list of their favorite artists, including Wilco, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Modest Mouse, and not the Jonas Brothers.

With this list, however, the guys say “we don’t sound like any of them.” They speak the truth. With their unique sound and energy filled performances, Keyless Entry is a band all its own.

Sure, they fight about stupid stuff occasionally (time signatures are often to blame) but rest assured that they really do love each other.

Yep, they’re ready to rock.

Photo by Victoria Tabio ’10

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developmentnews ALUMNI Alumni participation has increased from last year’s 4 percent to today’s 8 percent. The Alumni Association, under the direction of President Virginia Miller ’71, has reached out to alumnae and alumni as to the importance of supporting the continued growth and enhanced programs offered by Holland Hall. The Association recognizes the classes that are most active in annual giving each year.

TOP FIVE CLASSES IN ANNUAL FUND PARTICIPATION

TOP FIVE CLASSES IN ANNUAL FUND PARTICIPATION

TOP FIVE CLASSES IN ANNUAL FUND DONATIONS

TOP FIVE CLASSES IN ANNUAL FUND DONATIONS

(Classes with over 50 members)

(Classes with under 50 members)

(Classes with over 50 members)

(Classes with under 50 members)

1st Place Class of 2008

1st Place Class of 1970

1st Place Class of 1978

1st Place Class of 1970

2nd Place Class of 1977

2nd Place Class of 1966

2nd Place Class of 1984

2nd Place Class of 1982

3rd Place Class of 1984

3rd Place Class of 1973

3rd Place Class of 1983

3rd Place Class of 1976

4th Place Class of 1985

4th Place Class of 1969

4th Place Class of 1987

4th Place Class of 1973

5th Place Class of 1987

5th Place Class of 1976

5th Place Class of 1977

5th Place Class of 1969

FACULTY AND STAFF Faculty and staff participation is very strong with 93 percent currently participating in the Annual Fund.

This support is confirmation as to the commitment of those closely associated to Holland Hall. Bert Bibens, Chaplain, is the Annual Fund Faculty and Staff Chair.

PARENTS As of May 19, 2009, Preschool and Primary School have reached 56 percent and 59 percent respectively. Middle School parent giving is 54 percent and Upper School is 46 percent. First grade has the highest percentage of 67 percent followed by seventh grade with 63 percent. Overall, 49 percent of parents have donated thus far to the Annual Fund. While we are thankful for the generous gifts, our parent participation is below the national average for independent schools. Therefore, we encourage our parents to challenge each other to increase the parent participation percentage.

*As of May 18, 2009

Dave Rosetti, Class of 1970

Why I Give

Why I give to Holland Hall:

“I was very fortunate to experience Charlie Brown’s strong will in the spring of 1967. He convinced my parents and me that Holland Hall would be a great place to consider for high school. After meeting some students and teachers it became desirable, and after receiving a full scholarship for all four years it then became feasible! All of the Rossetti kids then attended Holland Hall, received top-notch educations, and reciprocated with contributions in many ways. How could I not give back to the system that helped make me successful? It’s an easy decision.”

What I hope our gifts will help to accomplish:

“We believe a gift that directly touches a student is the most effective one, and hope that the student will likewise contribute to the environment and culture of Holland Hall.”

A favorite memory of Holland Hall:

“The annual August football camp at Camp Paddle Trails located on the bank of the Illinois River; maybe not the favorite memory, but certainly a persistent one.”

“

How could I not give back to the system that helped make me successful? It’s an easy decision.

”

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Dave Rosetti is currently Vice President of University Relations and Research at Cisco Systems, responsible for building relationships with universities to collaborate and support innovative research. He has a Bachelor of Science in Applied Math & Computer Science from Washington University, St. Louis, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He and his wife Jan Avent live in Silicon Valley, California, with their rescued greyhound “Petey the Girl” (from Oklahoma). The other three siblings Tony, Joe, and Gina are living in California, Connecticut, and Texas, respectively.

developmentnews

WHY DONATE? Annual Giving is an integral part of Holland Hall.

It helps provide the essential tools to maintain an exemplary educational environment.

Each year, Holland Hall conducts a fundraising drive between June 1 and May 31 to raise unrestricted funds in support of the annual budget. The $855,000 raised in this campaign is combined with tuition, fees and endowment earnings to balance the school’s budget (tuition pays only 85 percent of the annual budget).

Auction Raises Funds for Financial Aid Auction attendees raised their paddles and raised $10,000 to give to the impressive financial aid program at Holland Hall. The “Give Smarts” program makes a Holland Hall education accessible to qualified students, who otherwise might not be able to enroll.

Every gift – large or small – supports Holland Hall students on their journey to become the leaders of tomorrow. The giving levels listed below recognize donors for their contributions. Donors of $1,000 or more are included in Holland Hall’s Schureman Circle and will be invited to recognition events during the year.

THE IMPACT AND SUCCESS OF THE ANNUAL FUND Nothing shows a greater sense of the strength in Holland Hall than the success of the Annual Fund Campaign. Under the leadership of co-chairs Holbrook Lawson ’83 and Rick Holder and Amy and Blake Herndon, Holland Hall launched the “Give the Gap” campaign. As of May 19, 2009, the school has raised $853,000 in gifts and pledges, which is 99 percent of the $855,000 goal. This is the second highest amount of money that has been raised for the Annual Fund in the last ten years.

Thank you to all who have so graciously given money, time and talent to make this year’s campaign a success. Thank you especially to our division chairs, Jen and Tom Sharpe (Primary School Chair), Leigh Ann Moss and Eric Sherburn (Middle School Chair) and Patricia and Greg Dukes (Upper School Chair).

It is no secret that Holland Hall’s greatness is built upon your loyalty and belief in the school’s ability to educate its students.

Your tangible support is invaluable. We say “thank you” to all of you who have supported Holland Hall so loyally and generously.

Schureman Circle

GIVE THE GAP

$25,000 & above

Visionaries

$10,000 - $24,999

Stewardship Society

$5,000 - $9,999

Hallmark Society

$2,500 - $4,999

1922 Founders Society

$1,500 - $2,499

Leadership Circle

$1,000 - $1,499

Headmaster Circle

$500 - $999

Partnership Circle

$250 - $499

Benefactor

$100 - $249

Affiliate

Up to $99

Supporter

If you would like to make a donation to the Annual Fund, please visit www.hollandhall.org or contact Brad Shelley, Director of Institutional Advancement, at (918) 879-4750 or bshelley@hollandhall.org.

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

15

changing lives in tanzania

Only 23 years of age, alumnus Chris Gates ’05 is

making a difference, one child at a time.

Chris Gates has found his calling, a half a world away.

As a boy, Gates aspired to be an exotic veterinarian in the Serengeti. So, his grandmother made a promise to him that she would take him to Africa when he was 15. She made good on the promise, but Gates found that it was the children of Tanzania that needed his help.

Tanzania, East Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world. Poverty, AIDS, and Malaria have left tens of thousands of children orphaned and abandoned, forced to live on the streets.

“Over the years I have seen first-hand the plight of the street children. I started doing my own independent field research and learned that while there were some programs to help street boys, not much was being done to help young girls get off the streets.”

Gates, an ’05 graduate of Holland Hall, founded the Janada L. Batchelor Foundation for Children, Inc., named for his grandmother. JBFC provides a safe and loving home, education, and health care to over 40 girls.

“I had always wanted to go to Africa, so it was a dream come true. Obviously there was a lot of culture shock the first time I

16

went, but I immediately fell in love with the people and culture of Tanzania. I do believe this is my calling for life,” shared Gates.

“The past four years I have spent about four and a half months a year there and am moving to Tanzania full time this May.” Gates runs all the day-to-day operations of the foundation, including staff development and fundraising.

“

Holland Hall is an incredible environment which combines a challenging curriculum, incredible faculty and support of individuality.

will prepare them for higher education and job opportunities.”

“I also want to add more dormitories and a medical clinic. Once we have our current campuses completed, I will use them as a sustainable model that we will replicate in other areas of Tanzania.”

Remembering back to his education at Holland Hall, Gates credits teachers like Frank Jones, Maureen Burke, Jim Mansfield, and Nancy Baumann for making a difference in his education. Gates’ college councilor, Kristin Vaughn, helped him start the Holland Hall Tanzania trip.

Gates continues to reconnect with Holland

Hall through these trips, which provide a wonderful opportunity for students to interact with JBFC’s children and help with daily activities at the orphanage, while learning about Tanzanian culture.

“Holland Hall is an incredible environment which combines a challenging curriculum, incredible faculty, and support of individuality. We as alumni are able to make Holland Hall an even richer place for future students by bringing new experiences and perspectives back to our home community,” said Gates. “Holland Hall alumni have done amazing things, and hopefully are examples for the current students, continuing to enrich the diversity of the learning community.”

”

— Chris Gates ’05

“The situation of the girls was so desperate that without the help of JBFC, many of them wouldn’t be alive today,” said Gates.

“Just knowing that we are saving lives and helping these girls become empowered adults with the ability to make changes in their community is incredibly rewarding.”

JBFC provides a home, education and healthcare. “We provide everything a normal family would,” said Gates, whose vision is bigger than the current two campuses.

These campuses, which are 30 miles apart, provide for over 40 girls and staff 14 fulltime employees and six part-time employees.

J B FC For more information about JBFC visit www.jbfc-online.org

“Currently, the girls go to public school, but it’s very poor education and will not get them very far,” said Gates. “We want to have our own private English-Medium school, which HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Dreams to Reality A dream of the school and a spark on the Holland Hall campus set the life path of Bruce Matthews Buford*, a ’69 graduate of Holland Hall.

“In eighth grade, while sleeping I had a dream of going to an ideal school with great teachers, small classes, and lively students, with a circular driveway at the entrance,” said Buford. “Then I woke up and was faced with the reality of getting on the bus to a rural public school.

I felt like I was dying spiritually and intellectually.”

But Bruce’s aunt had researched the opportunities at Holland Hall and shared with him the chance of obtaining a scholarship to the school.

“When I went to take the scholarship exam, we pulled up at the old Holland Hall’s circular drive — it was the

same one in my dream!” said Buford.

“The essay was on the purpose of education. I wrote my dream — what I imagined education could be and how it could transform me and the world.”

His inspiring essay was then read to the Board of Trustees when scholarship winners were announced.

This essay set the course for Buford’s future at Yale and as a professor of art history and world cultures at Maharishi University of Management.

“Because Holland Hall is small and creative, a person can do many things,” said Buford, who served as editor-in-chief of the Hallway.

“

The diverse opportunities at Holland Hall also helped to shape his character and confidence.

“I always wanted to play football, my favorite sport. But I did not have the size or athletic ability to play at a public school,” he said. “At Holland Hall, with a lot of lifting weights and training in the off-season, I was able to be a part of a good team, and build character.”

Buford said he still quotes some

The heart of Holland Hall is dedicated teachers who inspire students and help them develop their gifts.

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“I discovered I could orchestrate a multi-faceted, and multi-phased operation, which has given me a lot of confidence.”

”

— Bruce Buford ’69

of Coach Brown’s unforgettable aphorisms to his wife and students, with his favorites being “You gotta play with the little hurts!” and “It’s the game of life.”

But Coach Brown wasn’t the only one who left an indelible mark on Buford’s character; his spark was fostered by a number of Holland Hall instructors.

“The heart of Holland Hall is dedicated teachers who inspire students and help them develop their gifts. Ted Sloan opened my eyes and ears to the enchantment of art history, classical music, and Italian; all of which have enriched my life,” he said. “Carlos Tuttle taught me to think critically and unconventionally.

Ed Hooker revealed the mysteries of biology. G. Donald Miller and Rosemary Chase were my writing mentors. They worked for hours with me perfecting my skills.”

Hall, Father Taylor scheduled a presenter who had studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian teacher of Transcendental Meditation.

a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program for Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa and Beijing, China.

“While at Holland Hall I researched a paper comparing the thinking of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Maharishi,” said Buford. “They both explained that there was a transcendental reality at the depth of the mind, and that it was invaluable for cultivating a fully aware life — a life in harmony with the self, other people, and nature. I concluded that if this was true, and if the transcendent could be systematically experienced, it could solve many of the world’s problems.”

“Because the Transcendental Meditation technique is not religious, we can teach it in China,” he said.

“The meditating students report they worry a lot less, cope with life’s challenges better, and can focus much more.”

Once at Yale, Buford learned the Transcendental Meditation technique, using it to avoid the stress of the highly competitive environment at the school and to culture inner peace.

As a result, Buford won several writing awards in the National Scholastic Competition, which helped him make the transition to Yale.

“Since then I have always felt I could write anything well. These awards probably helped me gain a scholarship at Yale,” he said. “To be honest, I worked harder and wrote more essays my junior and senior years at Holland Hall than I did in any year at Yale. I was well prepared.”

Holland Hall’s open-minded culture also led to exposure to Transcendental Meditation for Buford. During his time at Holland

“Some professors said I could understand knowledge much more deeply because of meditation. I wrote my senior thesis on art and consciousness, and graduated with honors,” he shared.

Later, Buford had the opportunity to study with Maharishi and became

For the last six years he and his wife Julie have taught in Beijing part of the year, teaching hundreds of English speaking Chinese college students.

However, no matter the distance, Buford still plans to attend his 40th class reunion this fall at Holland Hall.

“Whenever I connect to Holland Hall I feel a wave of happiness and gratitude,” said Buford. “I am reconnected to the heart of a young man seeking to prove himself and getting lots of encouragement and opportunities. (I would encourage other alumni to) come to a reunion, visit with your classmates, and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy a football game at the Charles H. Brown Stadium and visit with Charlie Brown himself.

He will remember you. I especially want to encourage the members of my class to attend our 40th reunion this fall. We shared many wonderful and not-so-wonderful experiences. It would be gratifying to see you again and hear your stories.” *(Buford now goes by Matthew Beaufort, the original spelling of his family name)

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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focus on

arts

Holland Hall REKK Group to be featured in Living Arts Exhibition in 2010 The REKK Group, an eight member mixed media/ performance group of Holland Hall student artists have been accepted to showcase an interactive installation piece for the exclusive Living Arts exhibition in 2010. The showing will take about five hours to install and will incorporate sound and movement.

Members of the REKK Group are: Jake Nonweiler ’10, Lincoln Mitchell ’11, Victoria Tabio ’10, Ben Jones ’10, Emily Carter ’10, Stephania Dulowski ’10, Molly Tomecek ’10 and Alex Zurawik ’09. For more information about the Living Arts Exhibition, visit www.livingarts.org.

ISAS Arts Festival 2009 Steve & Sarah dyer Director of the Walter Arts Center and Fine Arts & Dance Teacher

Thespians Sell Out All Three Performances Of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” “I’ve directed and built the set for the last 24 Upper School plays, built the set for the last 12 Middle School plays and this is the first time we completely sold out a performance – let alone all three performances. I am so very proud and have nothing but praise for the cast and crew of ‘Our Town’.”

- Gary Dean Sweeney

Upper School Theatre

Alumni Music Recital This past March, the Holland Hall community was fortunate to hear the musical reunion of two of our most talented alumni. Madeline Duffy-Feins and Barron Ryan, both of the class of ’05 and co-recipients of the Walter Commendation for Excellence in The Arts, presented an evening of musical entertainment that will long be remembered. Madeline serenaded the audience with selections from musicals by Rogers and Hammerstein, the topic of her graduation thesis for a degree in musical theater from Northwestern University with a concentration in vocal music. Barron, a piano performance major at The University of Oklahoma, displayed his prowess with challenging classical selections and toe tapping ragtime.

Always the consummate performers, these two took the stage with the grace and confidence of artists well on their way to establishing themselves as entertainers to be closely followed as their careers progress.

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What is so curious about Art is the unseen. In the visible realm, the paintings are treasured, the dances are evocative, the dramas are heart-breaking and the music stirs souls to action. But did you ever stop to ask “How did this happen? What kind of mind can see and hear these spirits before they are made tangible? Where exactly in the human brain is this grand well of inspiration? How do hands know to make this thing we call art?”

This past April, 165 Upper School arts students attended the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest Arts Festival at Kinkaid School in Houston to feed their creativity and ponder just such questions. Though they may not have found concrete answers for the questions regarding the ‘unseen’ side of the arts, these students more than demonstrated that the aesthetic quandary is bubbling within them and that they have a superior grasp of that mysterious process that brings arts into the realm of the ‘seen’.

The ISAS Fine Arts Festival began in 1967 at Casady School in Oklahoma City when the choirs from Casady, Wichita Collegiate and Holland Hall combined to participate in a joint music program. Since then, the festival has grown to be the nation’s premiere annual regional arts festival among independent schools. Typically occurring each spring and hosted by a different ISAS school, the festival is a collaborative enterprise featuring an average of thirty participating schools and close to 3,000 student artists.

What makes this festival such a unique experience is that from its inception, rather than a competition for prizes or rankings, the ISAS Arts Festival has been designed as a celebration of sharing and learning with informative critiques offered by professional artists and performers. That being said, the Holland Hall student artists are always considered by adjudicators and faculty and students from peer schools to be at the forefront of their creative disciplines.

Alongside performances by large ensembles, some of this year’s highlights for Holland Hall included solo vocal and instrumental performances, student written one act plays, an art video showing and student designed choreography. Of particular note were thoughtful critiques and high praise for the photography and ceramics students in which the adjudicators took time to discuss elements of the final pieces of art, as well as taking time to delve into the methods and techniques students used to design their work — a look behind the work into that ‘unseen’ sphere of creativity and inspiration.

The ISAS Fine Arts Festival, fostered in the spirit of sharing, has proven to be an exceptional opportunity for schools to come together and appreciate both hard-won technical skills and the ephemeral release of the spirit that, when stirred together, make this thing we call Art.

National Scholastic Art Competition

Rodric (Cameron) Waugh ’09 “Cavernous Nothing”

Holland Hall Senior Rodric Waugh received the Gold Key Award for his art piece, “Cavernous Nothing” at the National Scholastic Art Competition. The piece was on exhibit at the Student Activities Center Gallery at the Southeast Campus of Tulsa Community College. His instructor is Laurie Spencer.

Symphony Accomplishments

Holland Hall students Brenna Caldwell ’11 and Anson Photo Courtesy of Hwang ’11 were winners of the Oklahoma Music Teachers Sarasota Herald-Tribune Associatio Senior Auditions which took place in Oklahoma City Photographer Dan Wagner on May 16. Anson was the first place winner of the 9th and 10th grade piano division and Brenna won first place for both the 9th and 10th grade string and vocal competitions. As winners, they will perform at OMTA’s annual competition and receive a monetary prize.

Brenna was also the winner of the Tulsa Youth Symphony concerto competition and performed the Fauré Elegy on May 4.

She has been a member of the Tulsa Youth Symphony for four years and was the principal cellist during the 2008-2009 season.

Middle School Art Innovations

The Senior Internship Program: A Holland Hall Tradition Debbie brokaw Upper School Support Services

I

magine the chance to intern with an author of two New York Times bestsellers! This is just one of the exciting opportunities offered to the class of 2009. This year’s internships included opportunities in the areas of architecture, business, interior design, law, real estate, education, medicine, dentistry, media, wildlife management, event planning and zoology. Several students traveled out of state, with two traveling out of the country to Germany and Costa Rica, to fulfill their internship obligations. This experience is a positive and productive way for seniors to end their Holland Hall careers.

The purpose of the Senior Internship Program is to expose seniors to the rigors and realities of the working world and/or the rewards of community involvement, as well as to help them explore a career path that interests them.

This is an opportunity for students to take a close look at a career they are considering and to decide if this is the type of job they imagined. One Holland Hall alumnus noted that after a few days of interning in an engineering firm he knew engineering was not the career for him. Other alumni have written to say the internship was among the highlights of their time spent at Holland Hall.

Either way, the students are learning something about themselves and adding to their upper school experience.

This year’s seniors were required to complete from 50 to 65 hours of internship depending on the number of Advanced Placement tests they are taking. The students were asked to obtain a job description, work schedule, dress code and company policies before they begin the internship. They also kept a daily journal of their experiences and wrote a final evaluation paper. Faculty visited as many of the internship sites as possible to monitor the students’ levels of involvement and quality of experience. The Senior Internship Program is a rewarding and beneficial opportunity for our students and the responses we received from the students indicated that they agreed.

Here are just a few responses from the Class of 2009: From Mitch Fryer ’09, an intern at Okie Crude Company: “I would recommend that the younger students at Holland Hall strive to find an internship with an organization in which they have an interest and hope to pursue in the future. While the internship may seem to be just another requirement it really is a wonderful opportunity to learn about a business and to determine whether one can visualize himself or herself being a contributor in this industry. You learn more than you can imagine and gain a great resume booster for a potential future in the industry.”

From Denny Mask ’09, an intern with Ally Carter, New York Times bestselling author:

Eighth graders have been challenged to make an “Art Machine” in Jan Butler’s art class on A days. Working in teams of two or three they have to construct and paint a working, moveable sculpture. Here, Onan Ahmed ’13 and Will Kim ’13 begin their rubberband-powered bi-plane.

“Going into the internship I was excited but nervous. I mean Ally Carter is a New York Times bestselling author. Ally helped me understand every aspect of the business. I got to speak with her publicists over speakerphone and learned the publicist’s role in making Ally Carter’s books popular. I learned the process of acquiring an agent and navigating the tricky waters of getting your first book published. I also got to help with the creative process. Ally and I talked about her books and their plots. I learned how to storyboard and to set the major plot points on a white board to see how they go together. I think in order for this internship to be helpful or useful, one has to seriously consider being a writer. Being an author is a lonely job. I found that an author can end up spending whole days inside alone trying to get everything down to make a deadline.”

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Alumni Board Association Virginia Miller ’71 President Ashley C. Parrish ’93 Past President

From the President of the Alumni Association Board

Sandra J. Alexander ’69 Clint E. Brumble ’93 Kenneth D. Busby ’85 Paul N. Henry ’81 Sarah Regan McKinney ’01 Sanford J. Roberds ’93 Laura Waddel ’90

Dear Fellow Alumni,

Virginia Miller ’71

Congratulations to the Class of 2009, the newest Holland Hall Alumni Association Members! Having just attended the Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2009, I have a renewed excitement for all that Holland Hall provides. I am reminded once again how meaningful the Holland Hall experience is in terms of preparing the graduates for their college experience and for their futures. The student address, delivered by Alexandra Kathleen Harjo, provided insights into the imaginative spirit that the Class of 2009 will carry with them for a lifetime. The faculty address, delivered by Dr. Michael H. Berglund was a powerful and effective perspective on “love what you do” in life ... something we all tend to forget. While observing Dr. Berglund’s enthusiasm and the attentive response from the graduates, I gained a renewed appreciation of the superior quality and relevance of the Holland Hall faculty. Dr. Berglund, you are officially invited to any and all Alumni Association events ... as are all of the Holland Hall faculty. We are all better for our time spent with each of you!

The Alumni Association continues to provide opportunities for Holland Hall Alumni to interact with each other and with the school. Most recently, we had the first of many quarterly Business Networking Breakfasts. We saw many new faces at the first event and look forward to many more at the next gathering on Friday, June 26, 2009, at 7:30 a.m. in the Alumni Center at Holland Hall. We are also continuing the Tulsa Dutch Hour which is now the first Monday evening of each month at McNellie’s downtown.

The next major event will be Reunion Weekend, October 23 - 24, 2009. If you are interested in organizing events for your class please contact Judy Warren at jwarrren@hollandhall.org or Virginia Miller at vmiller@cctulsa.com.

As always, please check for Alumni Association happenings at www.hollandhall.org or become friends with Holland Hall Alumni-Association on Facebook. We look forward to your postings and ideas.

In closing, thank you to all who have made the ’08-’09 year successful for the Alumni Association. We hope that you are enjoying the benefits of your lifetime connection with Holland Hall. After the 2009 Commencement Ceremony I became convinced that Holland Hall is not a K-12 school, it is clearly K-Lifetime ... in all the best ways!

Sincerely, Virginia Miller ’71 President, Holland Hall Alumni Association

Alumni Events

The Alumni Association Board meets each month at 8 a.m. in the Alumni Center on the Holland Hall campus.

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Holland Hall Annual Golf Tournament MeadowBrook Country Club 9300 E. 81st. St., Tulsa, OK June 22, 2009 10:30 a.m. - Registration 12:00 p.m. - Shotgun Start Alumni Association Breakfast Alumni Center – Holland Hall campus June 26, 2009, 7:30 a.m.

Alumni Reunion Weekend • Alumni Reception in Newman Theatre (Black Box) – Walter Arts Center October 23, 2009, 6:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.

Alumni Reunion Weekend Continued • Hall of Fame Reception and Ceremony Holliman Gallery – Walter Arts Center October 23, 2009, 5:00 p.m.

• Alumni Brunch in Holliman Gallery Walter Arts Center October 24, 2009, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon Alumni Reception - Dallas, TX November 4, 2009 Alumni Holiday Party Holland Hall Upper School Commons December 19, 2009 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

1970 Class Correspondent: Leigh Victoria Hooker Standingbear 10640 Harreld Road Beggs, OK 74421 leighstandingbear@beggstelco.net

Frank Smith - 213 Camellia Drive Chelsea, AL 35043, fmsintx@aol.com

Frank lives in Chelsea, Alabama with his wife Angie. They have two grown children, Patience and Abraham. Frank works for the engineering and construction management company, PegasusTSI, Inc., and is involved in a variety of installation and manufacturing processes for large industrial customers.

Projects he has been involved with include: Crude oil refining, chemical manufacturing, food supplements, calcium carbonate grinding, NutraSweet manufacturing and packaging facility, parmesan cheese plant, aluminum casting and rolling, ductile iron pipe and cast iron foundry installations.

Angie is a full time minister and both Frank and Angie have their own interdenominational ministry named Blood of Jesus Ministry, Inc. (scripturesoldiers-subscribe@MyInJesus.com) Patience is a Project Manager with an Office Furniture Design and Installation Company in Tampa. Abraham is working for Stream, Inc. who handles DELL support callin services.

A.R. “Rant” Tandy - 3346 E. 109th Street Tulsa, Ok 74137, artandy@cox.net

“Rant” Tandy and his wife, Karen live in Tulsa. They have two children, Julia, 14, and Art III, “Al”, 24. Karen is a successful interior designer having specialized in large multifamily apartment developments. Karen and Rant now operate a small retail gift store in Tulsa: Karen Tandy @ Terri’s, 8172C South Lewis in The Plaza.

Son Al, is finishing school at OSU and works as Assistant Manager for Stillwater Summit Company, an outdoor biking/hiking/ camping equipment company. He guides group climbing and backpacking expeditions out of state.

Starting in the mid 70’s, Rant opened and managed Radio Shack stores in Norman, Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. In 1977 he became one of the first owners/users of the original TRS-80 microcomputer. He wrote software to handle their managerial reporting functions and started writing business software for the TRS-80.

Over the past 25 years, Rant made a global impact with his development of software that focused on the shipping functions within businesses. He wrote software to create a computerized shipping systems

industry and started TanData Corporation.

His company was recognized as the world leader in such systems, and they held the lead in computerized ‘parcel manifest systems’ serving over a thousand installations for large corporations in the U.S., used by shippers like GE, Merck, Pfizer, AT&T, IBM, Mary Kay Cosmetics, the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, Williams Sonoma and hundreds of other world famous companies and government agencies, with over 1,000 installations in the U.S., Europe and the Pacific Rim. Ultimately, TanData’s systems created pressure from shippers to their carriers like UPS, FedEx, etc. to provide computerized equipment as well. About five years ago, Rant sold TanData Corporation to UPS.

Leigh Victoria Hooker Standingbear 10640 Harreld Road, Beggs, OK 74421 leighstandingbear@beggstelco.net

In 2005, Leigh took early retirement after having served as the “chief ” Horticulturist for the City of Tulsa Parks Department managing familiar Tulsa landmarks such as Woodward Park, Gilcrease Museum grounds, Swan Lake, and the Creek Nation Council Oak Park. She now enjoys success as a ceramic and graphic artist, ceramic art teacher, landscape designer, and Oklahoma native plant expert.

Leigh and her husband, Pat, have been married 29 years and live on 7.5 wooded acres 30 miles south of Tulsa where they enjoy two creeks, walking trails, lots of wildlife and a large pasture for playing Frisbee! Pat plays the electric bass and they keep up with local bands and musicians and enjoy traveling, camping, hiking and photography. Favorite destinations are the Colorado Mountains in the Crested Butte area and Costa Rica.

They purchased an old, 2-story, red brick building in “downtown” Beggs on the old alternate HWY 75 near HWY 16 and are currently renovating the structure to lease one half and to build a larger art studio in the other half for Leigh.

Leigh’s husband, Pat, works for Tulsa County Parks Department where he manages and directs activities in the park including outdoor concerts and festivals and works with outside organizations to make park improvements and programs.

Pat and Leigh enjoy Tulsa’s local music scene and support Tulsa arts in general. They have no children, but are devoted aunts and uncles to 13 nieces and nephews.

Susan Starr - 87 Saint Marks Place, 1E New York, NY 10009-5144 EldeeStarr@aol.com

Susan lives and works in New York City as a Motion Picture Camera Operator on movies and TV series. She was the camera operator on the recent remake of “The Women,” and

just finished a movie called “Everybody’s Fine,” with Robert DeNiro, which will probably be released next fall. She is currently “day-playing” as an additional operator for all the TV series shooting in New York, such as Law & Order SVU, Ugly Betty and Fringe. Susan is divorced and has an 18-year-old daughter in her freshman year at Columbia University.

Ann Billington Cassell 625 Basswood Avenue, Verona, WI 53593 abcassell@tds.net Ann Billington Cassell lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, Jack, of seven years. Ann’s son, Christopher, is married and works as a deaf interpreter in Phoenix, AZ. Ann’s daughter, Kari, is also an interpreter at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Ann is teaching her seventh year ASL (American Sign Language as a World Language) at LaFollette High School in Madison. She completed her Certificate in Holistic Animal Care and is currently studying Holistic Nutrition online.

She serves on the Advisory Council for Deaf Unity, which provides support services for deaf women of Domestic Violence in Wisconsin. She continues to be on the Miss Deaf America Pageant committee which will celebrate its 38 years since Ann, herself, won the first pageant in 1972.

Her husband, Jack, is a Contract Administrator for the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Relay Service. He serves on the National Exchange Carrier Assoc. TRS Fund Advisory Council as well as Vice-Chair of the Nat’l Assoc. Telecommunications State Relay Administration.

Melissa Morgan Young - 1120 Emerald Bay Drive, Destin, FL 32541-6129 tyoung1120@cox.net

Melissa lives in Destin, Florida where she enjoys her family, gardening, working with pastels and working with her church.

1979

Class Correspondent: Carol Bush 2829 E. 35th Street Tulsa, Oklahoma 74105 918-747-7687 or cbush@crimecomok.org *Look for reunion details coming Oct. ’09!

Pam Eaton -

Pam Eaton is in Boulder, Colorado and working for The Wilderness Society trying to save wide open spaces. She has two kids and a husband. They added a dog to liven up things.

Scott Rainey -

Scott Rainey’s youngest is now 21 years old and he still resides in Houston, Texas.

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Sean Haugh -

Sean Haugh has been living in Durham, North Carolina for 20 years and been married to Pam Adams for ten of them.

They have a family of one dog, eight cats and no children. Currently, Sean is working with FreeAndEqual.org petitioning to help candidates and parties get on the ballot and lobbying for changes in ballot access laws in the states.

Scott Herren -

Scott Herren is currently living in Zurich, Switzerland and is the General Manager of Citrix Systems for Europe, Middle East and Africa. He is married to Anne whom he met at Georgia Tech and their real home is in Boca Raton, Florida. He has three children ages 18, 16 and 10. The oldest is Drew, who graduated from an Episcopal high school in south Florida that is very similar to Holland Hall, and is now a freshman at Georgetown. Greg and Laura both go to the Zurich International School.

Karen Forsythe Fadzen -

Karen Forsythe Fadzen lives in Pennsylvania and works for Chase Advisors.

Brian Wilson -

Brian Wilson teaches AP Literature and Composition at Trinity Valley School, Holland Hall’s SPC rival in Fort Worth. In the summers, he also works as an AP Reader/ Table Leader, makes presentations as an AP Consultant and regularly gives addresses/ lectures at the AP Annual Conference. He has two daughters ages 18 and 15.

Peggy Dalious -

Peggy Dalious is Director of Applications/Operations at University of Colorado Hospital. She and her wife Michele love Denver and all things outdoors!

Lee Dinwiddie -

Lee Dinwiddie and his wife, Mary, just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in August 2008. They are in veterinary practice together in New Milford, CT. Their two boys are 19 and 18. The older one is a Marine and studying Criminal Justice at Mitchell College in New London, the younger is a freshman and swimming for Swarthmore in Philly.

Andrew Westphal -

Andrew Westphal is Senior Fellow and Associate Director of Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley. He and his wife have two children ages 7 and 10.

Carol Bush -

Carol Bush is still in Tulsa and married to the Art Director at Channel 2. She is the 24

Executive Director of the Crime Commission and is proud to have four girls ages 15, 14, 12 and 5.

Tim Hart -

Tim Hart did his undergraduate work at Lake Forrest College and received his MBA from Tulane. He learned to shuck crawfish and married his wife Ellen. They have four children – Joe, 20, who is studying pre-med at College of William and Mary, Adam, 17, Anna Beth, 15 and Kyle, 10. They reside in Richmond, Virginia where Tim is a Finance Analyst for Capital One.

Jan Webb -

Jan Webb taught 7th and 8th grade math at Holland Hall middle school for six years.

She then moved to Highstown, New Jersey where she taught Algebra I and AP Calculus at a highly diverse and highly academic boarding school. She also coached field hockey, basketball, volleyball and softball. After a brief stint in Miami, she is now in her fourth year of teaching at Seven Peaks Middle School in Bend, Oregon.

John Freeman -

John Freeman went from Holland Hall to Yale and then to the University of North Carolina to his first job in the oil industry in 1985 with Amoco located in New Orleans. In 1989, he and his wife moved to Houston.

In 1995, he moved his family to Cairo, Egypt where he spent 7.5 years, returning to Houston in 2003. He has three children – Megan, a senior in high school, Jonathan a freshman and Emily, a 7th grader. He still enjoys hearing from those he taught – JHFRGF@aol.com.

Peter Noldt -

Peter Noldt attended Texas A&M where he studied biochemistry, but ultimately graduated from the University of Houston in 1990 with a Masters of Architecture. He and his wife, Lynn, have been married 20 years and have two children – Katie, 15 and Michael, 13. He has found a niche in architectural visualization and after several years has struck out on his own. Check out www.noldt.com.

Marissa Maxey Lane -

Marissa Maxey Lane lives in Oklahoma City with two daughters, Olivia who is 14 and attending Bishop McGuinness and Ali who is 12 at Christ the King. She left Holland Hall for OU where she initially received a nursing degree and later a law degree.

After spending far too many years in a fast paced insurance defense firm, she went out on her own offering far more flexibility with her schedule allowing her to work on matters about which she is passionate. She has been court appointed to work with a

number of different nursing homes to assist on quality of care issues, and was honored to be the first person in the state of Oklahoma to be appointed as Patient Care Ombudsman through the United States Bankruptcy Court (Oklahoma) to oversee quality of care issues during the time a hospital is in bankruptcy. She is very involved with her children’s school activities and pursuing her love, arts and yoga.

Jule Albertson -

Julie Albertson graduated from University of Arkansas where she met her husband, Rick Rogers. They moved to upstate New York where they have two sons - Wren is now a junior at Cornell majoring in permaculture and Kia, 17 is president of Key Club International (http://keyclub.watchourvideos.com/story/79/#).

Currently, Julie is working on a $4 billion capital campaign for Cornell.

1982 Class Correspondent: Wendy Wilk 10803 Whiterim Drive Potomac, MD 20854 301-983-1447 or wawilk@aol.com

Jane Breckinridge -

Jane Breckinridge returned to Tulsa a few years ago, and says she’s living in a time warp.

Her daughter started her freshman year at Holland Hall this year, and is taking Latin with Mr. Palma.

Kristin Droege -

Kristin Droege has lived in Southern California for the last 20 years. After earning a Ph.D. in Education at UCLA, she has worked in the field of education, both public and private, and taught at the elementary, college and graduate levels. In 2008, she became the founding Principal of a new public charter elementary school opening in West Hollywood.

Her son, Nathan, is 13 and preparing for high school next year.

Charles McComas -

Charles McComas calls his wife, Susan, his inspiration, and his two grown children, Andrea and David, proof the old parents curse is true, “May your children be just like you.” Andrea is studying to be a veterinarian, and David is a civil engineer, just like their father, who has spent time in both the medical and engineering fields.

Charles graduated from the University of Tulsa with degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering. He’s currently working in Tulsa doing environmental consulting and energy research. He is active in the community as

well, serving as the American Institute of Chemical Engineer’s (AIChE) Ambassador to the University of Tulsa, Engineering Mentor to Sperry Middle School and Readiness Board Member with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) – Tulsa Post. As a SAME Board Member, Charles had the opportunity to provide a letter of recommendation to a Holland Hall student who was seeking one of the SAME scholarships. Charles is also currently in a four year theological study program. Classmates will be relieved to know he does still have a bit of a wild side, playing in two bands. Mike Athens ’81 is the drummer in one of the bands.

David Rainey -

David Rainey and his wife, Meghan, live in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Alexandria, Virginia with their two boys, Will, 12 and Christopher, 9. David works for a local investment management firm, and Megan is involved with local charities, our public school system and their boys. The Raineys get back to Tulsa at least twice a year to give their boys a taste for the Midwest and all it has to offer.

Wendy Wilk Markarian -

Wendy Wilk Markarian and her husband, Tom, live just outside Washington, D.C. in Potomac, Maryland. Wendy is the Washington News Bureau Chief for Hearst-Argyle Television, overseeing national news and major event coverage for 29 stations across the country. Tom is an engineer for Raytheon, and luckily, a news junkie, so he doesn’t mind her crazy schedule. The only thing that keeps them busier than stories like presidential elections, inaugurations, conventions and Olympics, is their 5 year old son Jake. Jake attends Georgetown Day School, where former Holland Hall Head of School Peter Branch is Head of School.

be shooting the pilot this summer. He is expecting the birth of his second child due in May (her name will be Matilda). He has an 8 year old son, Jake, from a previous marriage.

1988 Class Correspondent: Lydia Chiu 949.500.4662 or lydia_chiu@yahoo.com

Ricardo DelValle -

Ricardo DelValle is living in Costa Rica with his wife of two years and working as a warehouse manager. Ricardo says he’s a roadbiking “weekend warrior” in his spare time and it keeps a smile on his face and his stress levels down.

Tracey Smith Braunschweig -

Tracey Smith Braunschweig graduated from the University of Wisconsin. She met a “cute boy” there, Mark, whom she brought back to Tulsa and married. Tracey teaches 3rd grade.

Warren Tyon -

Warren Tyon is an ER physician in Mobile, Alabama. Warren graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 2004. He writes, “I took a bit of the scenic route, but eventually became the physician that I always wanted to be.” He’s been married for ten years to Cindy, a nurse, and they have an 8 year old son, Hunter (below).

1987 Class Correspondent: If you would like to be the class correspondent for the class of ’87, please contact Judy Warren at jwarren@hollandhall.org

Max Burnett -

Max Burnett is currently the creator and executive producer/writer for a new live action (not cartoon) series on Nickelodeon about a group of kid monster hunters.

It’s called The Troop and will debut on Nickelodeon in October 2009. He has also created and written a one hour live action pilot for Cartoon Network about teenage superheroes called Necessary Evil, based on a comic book of the same name. He’ll

Tyler McKinley -

Tyler McKinley is in Portland, Oregon.

He and his wife, Ingrid, have three boys, 4, 6 and 8 (Elijah, Ethan, and Evan in that order).

Tyler is the CEO of a high tech company that develops GPS technology.

Anne Darnell Gillingham -

Anne Darnell Gillingham has had her own law practice in Tulsa since 2003 and she handles primarily family and criminal cases. In December of 2007, Anne was also appointed Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Tulsa. Anne is married to Clint Gillingham and they have a daughter, Nellie, who is almost one year old.

Brent Byers Brent Byers lives in Knoxville, Tennessee

where he works for Sun Trust Bank as Executive Vice President, managing the Commercial Banking line of business for the East Tennessee region. Brent and his wife, Laurie, have two children: Madison, 3 years and Mason, 7 months.

Markus Kamp -

Markus Kamp was unable to attend the reunion because he and his wife, Tiffany, were busy delivering twin girls, Elizabeth and Josephine. For pictures of the little ones and a lot of other good stuff, see Markus’ Facebook profile.

Lydia Chiu -

For the last ten years, she’s been living in Southern California with her husband, Lee. They have a one year old daughter, Ellie, who keeps them on their toes. They have a Web development business (their other baby), and she tries to squeeze in as much tennis as possible.

The next big reunion is the 25th in 2013, but don’t wait that long to tell everybody what you’ve been up to! Email Lydia anytime at Lydia_chiu@yahoo.com to be included in the next magazine.

1996 Yasu Fuke -

Yasu Fuke has been all over the world.

After graduating from University of California - San Diego, he went to medical school at Texas Tech and did his residency in internal medicine in San Francisco. After that, he’s been a travel doctor which has taken him to California, Illinois, Colorado, Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and New Zealand! He started a new gig last October in Portland. Check out his Facebook page – there are some amazing photos from all his travels.

Class Correspondent: Sarah (Lemons) Bradbury 6728 Chevy Chase Avenue Dallas, Texas 75225 214-499-2168 (cell) sarahebradbury@yahoo.com (personal) sbradbury@gardere.com (work)

Amanda Bishop -

Amanda Bishop received her M.B.A. from Stanford University in 2008 and gave birth to her first child, Luke. Mandy is currently living in Seattle, Washington where she works as Senior Product Manager for Whitepages.com.

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Sarah (Lemons) Bradbury -

Sarah (Lemons) Bradbury is a labor and employment attorney with Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Dallas, Texas. Sarah’s practice primarily consists of employment litigation, drafting employment agreements, and counseling corporate clients on employeerelated issues. On January 24, 2009, Sarah married Dallas native, Judd Bradbury in Tulsa.

Sarah and Judd spend time with many Holland Hall friends, including Charles Hatfield

’96, Pete Willis ’96, Campbell Kerr ’96, Michael Lieberman ’96, and Frank McDonald ’96.

Jennie Chiu -

Jennie Chiu is currently living in Berkeley, California where she is finishing her degree which she hopes “will allow her to play videogames all day and somehow still positively contribute to society.” She often spends time with Cuyler Binion ’96 and Tom Dapice ’96 who live nearby. On her commutes to Virginia to visit her boyfriend, Jennie also enjoys coffee with Ashley Hightower ’98 and soju with Blake Rollins ’96.

Zachary Crockett -

Zachary Crockett has been composing and coding in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Saxophonist Eric Honour will be touring Europe and the United States in March and April 2009 performing Zachary’s work for sax and computer: Fight to Flow Between. The Renegade Ensemble also regularly performed his “Dance #1” during their 2008-2009 concert season.

Zachary has also been working as a freelance web developer and recently joined an outreach-minded arts organization called Minneapolis Art on Wheels, where his latest project is creating iPhone software to control publicly projected video installations.

Christi (Frates) Garrison -

Christi (Frates) Garrison married her husband, Brian, in June 2006. Christi and Brian live in Indianapolis, Indiana where Christi has been teaching 6th grade math for the past four years.

Sydnie Harris - 14323 Flathead Rd Apple Valley, CA 92307, 323-253-1487

Sydnie Harris is living in Apple Valley, California. She currently is raising her child and working as a Payroll Auditor for the State of California. Sydnie also attends California State University, San Bernardino where she is working to achieve her M.B.A. in Finance to complement her B.A. in Accounting.

Charles Hatfield

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Charles Hatfield received his Ph.D. in

Romance Languages and Literatures from Johns Hopkins in 2007. Charles currently resides in Dallas, Texas. He is an assistant professor of Literature at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Kyle Jones -

Kyle Jones and his wife moved back to Tulsa in 2006 after spending three years in North Carolina where they owned their own business and Kyle coached golf. Kyle is currently the Assistant Athletic Director/ Academics at Oral Roberts University. Kyle is set to complete his masters degree in May 2009. And, in addition to completing his first triathlon and marathon this past year, Kyle and his wife celebrated the birth of their daughter, Caroline, on January 21, 2009.

Kevin Joyce -

Kevin Joyce and his wife Kylee (Schelbar) Joyce ’97 reside in Tulsa. Kevin is an attorney with The Joyce Law Firm. He specializes in civil law including trusts, estates, business, torts, and general civil litigation. In Kevin’s spare time, he enjoys fishing, often with Casey and Seth ’97 Bingham, playing golf, and hitting the basketball court with

Cason Carter, Chad Rogers, and Dru Bridwell ’95. Kevin and Kylee welcomed their first child, a boy, in May.

Stuart Letcher -

Stuart Letcher is still flying high for the Air Force. He spends a total of six months each year deployed to the Middle East. Stuart and his wife, Kitt (Hawley) Letcher ’97, welcomed their first child, Isabelle Hawley Letcher, on July 6, 2008.

Kitt is currently the Development Coordinator for the Volunteer Center for the United Way in Oklahoma City.

Rogers McSpadden -

Rogers McSpadden is a social studies teacher in a very troubled area of Phoenix, Arizona. Rogers just recently completed his masters degree at the University of Phoenix

and his next endeavor is to pursue a Ph.D.

Kristin (Graves) Schenk -

Kristin (Graves) Schenk and her husband live in Tulsa. They are expecting their third child, a girl, in April 2009. While Kristin has been working for Medtronic Vascular for several years, she has decided to fully devote her time to her children, William Daniel Schenk, 3, Mary Jane Schenk, 1 and soon-toarrive, Kathryn Dansby Schenk.

Natalie Mange Sivak -

Natalie Mange Sivak and her husband, Marc, reside in Temple, Texas where Natalie is finishing her radiology residency. This summer they will be moving to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where Natalie will complete a one-year fellowship in Abdominal Imaging at the University of North Carolina. On Jan. 19, 2009, Natalie and Marc welcomed their sweet baby girl into the world. At birth, Clara Jane Sivak weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz., was 20 inches long and had a full head of dark brown hair.

Travis Tholen -

Travis Tholen is living it up in middle of Texas (Austin area) working for the San Antonio Spurs. Travis is developing and branding the Spur’s NBA D-League team and also running a basketball gym called Hoop Zone. Travis enjoys running and in fact, from time to time runs in half marathons and other long distance runs in and through the Texas hill country and other Texas cities.

He enjoys helping kids learn basketball skills through training, organizing teams and camps throughout the year. Travis is always looking for a good adventure.

1998 Class Correspondent: Kate (Rusley) Gorman Olympia Community Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia 693000 (832) 254-7624 or k8gorman@yahoo.com

Suzanne (Sharp) Dodson ’98 -

Suzanne (Sharp) Dodson got married in 2002 to Ryan Dodson, who she met while getting her Chemical Engineering degree at TU. They just had their second baby girl on Oct 30th (Emery Elaine Dodson). Their older daughter (Avery) is 2 1/2. Suzanne is working part-time at Magellan Midstream in Tulsa as a Risk Engineer. Additionally, she is working on the Tulsa Engineering Summit, which involves a series of training seminars for 100+ engineers, as well as being involved with the Society of Women Engineers, who do a lot of outreach activities with K-12 students, such as introducing engineering concepts to them.

Christina Fucci -

Christina Fucci was married June 19, 2009 in Providence, Rhode Island. She is currently finishing her doctorate (Ph.D.) in psychology and is looking forward to being a licensed psychologist within the next six months.

Jason Wright -

Jason Wright is currently an Account Manager for Vestcom International, Inc. He and his wife just celebrated their ninth anniversary. They have two sons Jake, 8 and Caden, 5.

Moscow, London, Milan, and Melbourne.

Thank you to all that participated in our ten-year reunion this past October. Remember to email Kate with any new addresses or points of interest for your fellow classmates.

2002 Class Correspondent: Bryan Lieber 1010 E. Ellsworth Ave. #1014 Denver, CO 80209 Bryan.lieber@gmail.com

Ragan Butler -

Ragan Butler finished up 2008 by producing her first feature film, Dead Stop for Dirty Little Films/ Sam Hurwitz Productions. She then went on to work on both the Discovery Channel’s Smash Lab and MTV’s Parental Control. Also a live-action TV show for kids that she worked on in 2007 called Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight aired on TV. She is now working at a production company that specializes in commercials by A-List Directors.

Amanda (McCabe) Keller -

Amanda (McCabe) Keller and her husband, Scott, celebrated the birth of their second child, Adeline Elizabeth Keller. She was born on January 4th at 12:56 p.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs., 6 oz. and measured 19 inches.

Brad Sanditen -

Brad Sanditen married Adria Fife in May 2008. He currently works at the Sanditen Companies in commercial property leasing and management. Brad also volunteers as an advisor for the local chapter of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, a Jewish youth group. The couple recently purchased a home in Tulsa.

Ricky Thomas -

Ricky Thomas will marry Maureen Beasley on July 11, 2009. He currently works in the ConocoPhillips International Business

Meredith Campbell ’02 -

Meredith Campbell married Rion Rogers on May 23, 2009. Meredith graduated from the University of Tulsa in 2006 and currently teaches art at Union Public Schools. She resides in Broken Arrow and also coaches the Hurricane Futbol Club ’98 girls soccer team. Rion is a graduate of the University of Tulsa Mechanical Engineering School and works for Baker Hughes – Baker Oil Tools in Broken Arrow.

Jessie Pierre -

Jessie Pierre is in her second year of law school at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York and plans to practice corporate law upon graduation. She recently visited Holland Hall to attend a middle school basketball game where her uncle, Tom Burke, was one of the coaches.

Andy and Ashley (Schulanberger) Matson -

Andy Matson married his wife Ashley on July 26th, 2008 at First Baptist Church in Tulsa. Andy graduated from the University of Tulsa and works at the Bank of Oklahoma as a Trust Officer and Oil and Gas Administrator. Ashley is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and works as an Internal Auditor for the Bank of Oklahoma. The couple recently purchased a home in Jenks.

Development Group and will graduate in May from the University of Houston with a Masters in Business Administration focused in International Finance.

Karrie (Prevatt) Smith -

Karrie (Prevatt) Smith married Patrick Smith on May 31, 2008 at Philbrook in Tulsa. Grant Price ’02 and Christopher McFarland ’02 were among the groomsmen.

Karrie is currently in her 3rd year as a graduate student in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Kansas.

Neha Sangal -

Neha Sangal will graduate from the Boston University School of Medicine in May. Upon graduation, Neha will begin a residency program in Ophthalmology at the University of Chicago.

Jaclyn Niebergall -

Jaclyn Niebergall is living in Kansas City and working at Pembroke Hill School. She is also in her second year of graduate school at the University of Kansas where she is pursuing a master’s degree in Educational Psychology.

Patrick and Kate (Rusley) Gorman-

Patrick Gorman and Kate (Rusley) Gorman are living in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia where Patrick is working on Oil and Gas Projects for Exxon Mobile. Their travels over the past year have taken them to

Matt Beers -

Matt Beers is an Electronics Technician 2nd class on board the USS San Jacinto in the United States Navy. He currently lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with his wife, Christine, and his son, Michael. Since joining the Navy, he has visited several countries HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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including Senegal, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

Wes Puckett -

Wes Puckett graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2006 with a degree in Astrophysics. He currently works at L-3 Communications, Aeromet Inc., in Tulsa where his company integrates infrared cameras into jets to track and record video of missile tests.

2008 Class Correspondent: If you would like to be the class correspondent for the class of ’08, please contact Judy Warren at jwarren@hollandhall.org

Max Frey -

Max Frey is currently attending Trinity University in Texas and has been voted by the head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Ahtletic Conference as the SCAC Men’s Tennis Player-of-the-Year. Frey, a first-year player from Broken Arrow, OK posted a 13-8 singles record (11-6 doubles) and was ranked in the top 10 nationally all year in singles play.

In the fall, Frey won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III Southwest Region championship. Frey became the tenth different (12th overall) Trinity player to be named SCAC Player-of-the-Year.

Alumna Connie Lockwood ’75

U

pon graduating from Tulane with a degree in Asian Studies, Connie went to Japan on an Experiment in International Living Program for five weeks, followed by joining one of the first groups to travel into China (Lindblad Travel who’s VP lived in Tulsa) for another four weeks. A tough trip physically but an extraordinary experience. Given China’s undeveloped state, Lockwood decided to stick with and become fluent in Japanese. Upon her return to Tulsa, Connie was invited to give a slide presentation of her trip to the entire Upper School in the Commons.

Connie has been associated with Japan now for almost 30 years; worked and lived there for eight years, consulted for both American and Japanese companies and is fluent in the language. She also owned her own JapanU.S. custom design VIP tour company, was

Kitt Hawley Letcher ’97 and Stuart Letcher ’96 – Isabelle Hawley born July 6, 2008 Suzanne Sharp Dodson ’98 and Ryan Dodson – Emery Elaine born October 30, 2008 Allison and Kyle Jones ’96 – Caroline born January 1, 2009 Amanda McCabe Keller ’98 and Scott Keller – Adeline Elizabeth born January 4, 2009 Natalie Mange Sivak ’96 and Marc Sivak – Clara Jane born January 19, 2009

Adia Fife and Brad Sanditen ’02 — May 2008

Karrie Prevatt ’02 and Patrick Smith – May 31, 2008 Ashley Schulanberger and Andy Matson ’02 – July 26, 2008

Presently Connie is involved in developing an NGO in Uganda with a Ugandan Fulbright Scholar. The goal of the NGO is to create a network of community centers in rural areas of Uganda that will provide basic education to children, literacy classes for adults, a business clinic and microcredit program as well as a mobile health clinic.

Births

Marriages Margaret Alieze Rosene ’00 and Casey Robinson – May 10, 2008

Director of Special Events for the U.S. at the Aichi World Expo 2005 in Japan, and later did consulting for the Fulbright Center in Washington, D.C.

Kathleen Parker ’96 and Darin Lund are at home in Portland, OR. They were married June 28, 2008 with Joseph Witt ’96 officiating at the ceremony.

Both Katie and Darin are graduates of Portland State University.

Megan Furman and Will Thomas ’02 – May 16, 2009 Meredith Campbell ’02 and Rion Rogers – May 23, 2009

Dylan Jacob Tackett, son of Staci Robinson Tackett ’00 and Doug Tackett.

In Loving Memory Sandra Piatt Mozingo ’58 – December 2008 Nancy Michaels Berry ’45 – January 2009 Constance Franchot Tenney ’39 – March 28, 2009 Hilary Gray ’05, Adam Grener and Meredith Gray ’00.

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Maggie Rosene ’00 and Casey Robinson

Marylouise (Oak) Cowan ’40 – March 28, 2009

In Memory of Marylouise Oak Tandy Cowan Marylouise Oak Tandy Cowan, a 1940 graduate of Holland Hall and publisher of the Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper since April of 1987, died peacefully at her Southport Island home with her family around her on Saturday, March 28, 2009. She was 87 years old.

A summer resident of Sprucewold since childhood, she moved to the region permanently in 1979 when her late husband, Howard Cowan, whom she married in 1973, purchased the two newspapers. Her first husband, Alfred Randolph "Bill" Tandy, died in 1971. Following Mr. Cowan's death, she assumed the duties of publisher, a role which continued until her death. While she considered assuming the duties of

Alumni Dutch Hour

publisher as a major challenge, what could be considered her greatest accomplishment was creating a life of service, good humor, style and grace.

She was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, December 3, 1921, the daughter of Donald and Louise Oak. Her father, a native of Caribou, Maine, was in the lumber business before moving to Tulsa. She was educated at Monte Cassino School, Holland Hall School, Central High School, Connecticut College in New London, the University of Texas and earned a BA degree in art from the University of Tulsa. In 1998 she was honored as a distinguished alumna at University of Tulsa. She was presented with the Connecticut College Medal in 1999 in recognition of her achievements and volunteer activities.

A lifelong volunteer, she was well known for her philanthropic support of local groups and organizations and was actively involved on many boards.

She was active in the Philbrook Museum

Alumni Breakfast April 3, 2009

of Art in Tulsa, served on the board of the Tulsa Town Hall, and was on the board of the Pacers, a volunteer organization of the Philbrook Museum of Art. She was also a sustaining member of the Ruskin Art Club in Tulsa and involved in various other clubs and organizations including the Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet, and the Junior League of Tulsa. In 1962 she was named Volunteer of the Year by the Tulsa Junior League. She was also inducted into the Tulsa Historical Society Hall of Fame in 2000.

Her family includes a son, Alfred Randolph "Rant" Tandy, Jr. '70, his

wife, Karen, and their children, Alfred Randolph "Al" Tandy III and Julia Nicole Tandy '12 of Tulsa, Oklahoma; a daughter, Carol Tandy '73, and her children, 2nd Lieutenant Michael D. Wright '04, Coby J. Wright '05, and William "Will" H. Wright IV '12 of Tulsa; Stephen Shafer and wife Darci and children Ellen Jane and Stephen E. Shafer, Jr. Oklahoma City; and Stacy Cowan-Finnerty and husband Chris and son, Howard Cowan Carter of Tulsa.

Virginia Miller ’71 and Sarah Regan McKinney ’01

May 4, 2009

Ty Ertugral ’94 and Dylan McCants ’96

Sarah Regan McKinney ’01, Scott Marsh ’86 and Dee Ray Charlie “Coach” Brown and Ryan Nowlin ’93 Brett Baker ’89 and Patrick Coates ’85

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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DUTCH ATHLETICS Girls Basketball plays underdog role to win SPC

With no seniors and a new coaching staff, this year’s basketball team looked like it would once again be rebuilding for the future. This team, which consisted of mostly freshmen and sophomores, started the season with a 37-point loss to Victory Christian. The setback did not deter this young team, but motivated them to do whatever it took to get better each day. Saturday practices would follow, along with practicing during the holiday break, and this time allowed the team to grow and develop a very tight knit chemistry.

In the third game of the year, the girl’s basketball team stared at a 13-point deficit to NOAH late in the third quarter, but battled back in the fourth quarter to secure a three-point victory, instilling confidence in the young team.

As the SPC season began, this team took to the road and came from behind to defeat one of the top teams in SPC, Fort Worth Country Day School, 42-41 in OT. The following day they beat the defending SPC Champions, Hockaday, to put them in position for a Division I berth.

During this time, Holland Hall had its first Player of the Week named by the Tulsa World, in Paris Townsend. She was a top player in the area in both scoring and rebounds.

In the last game of the regular season, Holland Hall hosted Casady, who was undefeated and had secured the top spot for the SPC tournament. Holland Hall led from start to finish to defeat the Cyclones, 48-35.

Holland Hall arrived in Houston as a #3 seed in the Division I bracket for SPC. With very little expectation to advance, this team once again battled back from a 10 point deficit at the half to defeat St. Stephen’s Episcopal School 42-38. In the semi-final game against John Cooper, the Dutch once again came from behind to defeat the Dragons, 43-32. In the final game, Holland Hall faced the preseason favorite, Episcopal School of Dallas, and won 55-44. It ended the season with a 15-9 overall record and its first SPC Championship in 13 years.

All Conference performers, sophomore Christina Bayliss, and freshman twins Jules and Paris Townsend, led this team in scoring and rebounding. First year coach, Coach Crystal Lawson, was named Tulsa Metro Coach of the Year. Congratulations to this young team who defied the odds and is now a “Big Dog” in SPC.

Boys Soccer Wins Back-to-Back Championships!

The Dutch entered the season with a huge target on its chest. Having won 21 games in 2008 and capturing the SPC title, this team was now the bulls-eye of every team in SPC. The team was led by four Division I bound-soccer players, Denny Mask – UNC Greensboro, Jon Wright – Memphis, Joe Stall – Brown, and Sid Stewart – University of Tulsa. Jon Wright broke the single season scoring record by putting 35 goals into the net and he also finished as the all time career goal scorer at Holland Hall with 66 goals.

The team opened up the season winning, for a second consecutive year, the Hunt Silcock Memorial Tournament at St. Mark’s School in Dallas, Texas. In the first game of SPC Zone play, Holland Hall hosted Dallas Greenhill and defeated them 3-1. The Dutch would continue their march toward the SPC title by winning all of their North Zone soccer matches in dominating fashion.

In the first round game of SPC, Holland Hall battled back and forth with Houston Episcopal and pulled through with a 5-4 victory on the Knights’ Hart named home field. It was by far the closest SPC game 1st team of the year. Later in the evening, the Dutch coach on broke a scoreless match with thirteen minutes espnrise.com remaining and followed with two more goals to defeat Fort Worth Country Coach Richard Hart guided Holland Day School, 3-0. In the championship Hall to its second straight SPC game against John Cooper, Holland Hall scored two early goals to cruise to a 2-0 Division I title, and in the process victory and win its second consecutive the Dutch became the first Division I SPC title.

Southwest Preparatory Conference Holland Hall finished the season 19-0-1 team to crack the FAB 50 rankings. and outscored its opponents 80 goals Holland Hall’s lineup featured four while allowing only 16. During the last NCAA Division I signees, and the two SPC Championship seasons, their overall record is 40-1-3 (20-0-1 in SPC team’s 19-0-1 season pushed its play). They became the first Oklahoma undefeated streak to 31 matches. high school team to earn a national ranking in the winter season, which includes the states of Florida, Texas, and California. In the final poll, Holland Hall boys were ranked #8 in the country.

The team was coached by Richard Hart and Brian Thompson. All SPC selections for this team were Seniors Denny Mask, Jon Wright, Craig Eisen, Joe Stall, and Sophomore Quinn Starker.

Congratulations to this outstanding team.

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Softball finishes perfect season at SPC with Championship Having finished third place in 2007 and second place in 2008, this year’s softball team was on a mission to finish with a championship. They began the season by winning the Fourth Annual Pirates Classic in Perrin, Texas. They continued their march through the North Zone of SPC to remain undefeated and capturing the North Zone title.

With the postponement of the Spring SPC, the Dutch would have to win three games in one day to win it all. They played their first game at 8 a.m. and faced a tough opponent in Austin St. Andrews. Freshman pitcher, Jules Townsend, threw a no hitter and Holland Hall prevailed 2-0. In the semi final game, junior catcher Natalie Powers broke open a 0-0 tie with a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning to put the Dutch up 4-0 and on to a 5-0 victory against Fort Worth Country Day School.

The two victories set up a contest with the South Zone Champion, Houston Episcopal.

They started strong with one run in the first, another in the second, and two more runs in the third inning to take a 4-0 lead. In the top of the sixth with two outs, the Knights scored two runs to cut the lead 4-2. In the top of the seventh inning with two outs and two strikes, and Episcopal hit a double to score two runs to tie the game. The Dutch could not muster any runs in the bottom of the seventh so the game headed to extra innings. In the top of the eighth inning, Episcopal scored 2 more runs to take a 6-4 lead. The Dutch came to bat with the bottom of the batting order. With two outs and two strikes, freshman Courtney Holmes hit a single to score one run. Next freshman Eryn McCarver hit a triple to score the tying run and it was followed by freshman, Jaime Rice hitting the game winning single to score Eryn McCarver and the Dutch captured the Division I SPC title.

Coaches Dave Bach, Becky Dreher, and Butch Virdell led the team. All SPC performers were junior Natalie Powers and freshmen, Jules Townsend, Paris Townsend, and Eryn McCarver. The Dutch finished with a 16-0 record, outscoring its opponents 151 runs to 17 runs allowed. Freshman pitcher Jules Townsend threw three no hitters, two perfect games, and averaged 12 strikeouts a game.

This team will open next season looking to repeat its success of 2009.

Students Building Character Through Rowing program now has nearly 50 athletes, five coaches, owns $100,000 worth of equipment and practices six days a week and competes in six to seven events each season.

The Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors have experienced tremendous growth over the past seven years, growing from a small program to a substantial presence in the rowing community; thanks to head coach and Holland Hall faculty member Neil Bergenroth, the support of the Tulsa community, the University of Tulsa Rowing and the Tulsa Rowing Club.

“The sport of rowing is a demanding activity.

As participants progress through technical understanding the activity becomes more of a discipline than a sport. Rowing is one of the most physiologically demanding activities on the planet,” said Bergenroth. “It teaches high school rowers discipline, character and accountability to each other. For this reason, it is the ultimate team sport. In order for a crew to be successful, every participant must

be working together toward a common goal and have excellent work ethic.”

The Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors has been in operation for over 15 years, but when Bergenroth took the reigns in 2002 he served as the only coach of a team, which had only eight to ten participants and no equipment.

The team only practiced three times per week and competed only twice per year. The

Sixteen going on to intercollegiate athletics This year’s senior class has sixteen student-athletes who have committed to play intercollegiate athletics next year. This class is highlighted with four Division I soccer players, which is the third most number of signings of any school in the country.

For a graduating class of 84, this makes up almost 20 percent of the class. These student-athletes are attending some of the top Division I and Division III schools in the country.

STUDENT Emily Carstens Julian Frazier Nikki Lamson Denny Mask Jon Wright Joe Stahl Sid Stewart Will Phipps Amanda Smith Seth Hedman Camron Waugh Zac Helmerich Andrew Neely Luke Sweeney Ian Lenora Conley Craven

“It is an exciting time for the program and the Tulsa Rowing Club needs the support of the community to continue to offer more opportunities for student athletes looking to try a new sport,” shared Bergenroth.

For more information

Visit www.tulsajuniorsrowing.org or email Coach Bergenroth at coachb@tulsajuniorsrowing.org

SCHOOL SMU Tulsa Babson UNC Greensboro Memphis Brown Tulsa Evergreen St. Univ Baker Drake Hamilton Trinity College Kenyon College Pomona College Wash & Lee UC-Davis

SPORT Crew Track/Field Track/Field Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Football Football Football Football Football Football Field Hockey HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Mark Your Calendars for Alumni Reunion Weekend!

October 23-24, 2009

• Alumni Reception in Newman Theatre October 23, 2009, 6 - 9 p.m.

• Hall of Fame Reception and Ceremony October 23, 2009, 5 p.m.

• Alumni Brunch October 24, 2009, 10:30 a.m. – Noon

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